Area couple hunt treasure

Area couple hunt treasure…in plain sight

June 13, 2007
by Mary Dulaney

Geocaching (pronounced geo-cash-ing) is a treasure hunting game that uses a GPS (global positioning system) to find bits of treasure, called caches, hidden in plain sight all over the world. Clues and coordinates are posted on a website.

We started out buying a map and a GPS to learn the fishing spots on the Bay.

Then my husband remembered a program on TV about Geocaching. It was some kind of treasure hunting using your computer for clues and GPS coordinates.

So I decided to look into it and see if the little ole town of Milton had any treasures hidden.

Much to my surprise, I found that there were 409 treasures hidden within a 50 mile radius of the 32583 zip code…all detailed on a Web site called www.geocaching.com.

We printed out several easy cache clues and decided to try and see if there was anything to this treasure hunting game. We weren’t sure what to expect, but after our first find, we were hooked!

We anxiously went on to find the one’s we had clues for then ran home to check on some more to find.

Thus began our new adventures.

Geocaching offers a new twist on treasure hunting. Unlike the buried variety of pirate lore, these boxes of ‘gold’ are usually located in plain sight…if you know where to look. And once you find them, you have to put them back. Here, the thrill is in the search.

Caches can be as big as 5 gallon buckets or as small as a camera film container.

All will have a log book to record your name and the date of your find. Typical caches are filled with low-cost trinkets as trade items.

The number one rule is to leave something if you take something. Once you find a cache, you log onto the Web site and post your find.

Geocaching began a little more than 6 years ago.

Due to security concerns, civilian GPS units were once intentionally built with an error margin of a 300-foot radius, an accuracy rate hardly conducive to finding small treasure hides. But in 2000 President Bill Clinton ordered to eliminate the limitations, bringing the margin of error within 30 feet or less.

Almost immediately, GPS enthusiasts began posting the location of small bits of treasure online, and the phenomenon was born. Handheld GPS units run from as low as $79 upwards of $1000.

After we had logged about 20 finds, my husband decided to start making up his own caches. We scoured garage sales and dollar stores for trinkets to put in the caches.

Now every where we go we look at things differently. We can hide a cache there - that’s a good spot!

Sometimes, just as we have pulled up to a cache site, ready to get out and look, another car pulls up.

We all eye each other cautiously, then decide to ask, “are you geocaching also?”

Everybody laughs and learns each other’s sreen name. Finally, you can put a face to a computer name!

The membership is free on geocaching.com, but we signed up for the $30/year membership that offers you more options, like a list of newly hidden caches. Sometimes we’ll check the computer, find new hides and hop in the car right then, just to be the FTF (first to find).

Geocaching is more than just finding a container full of trinkets. It’s a great family sport. It takes you to interesting places that you might not think of exploring, places you pass by everyday, always meaning to stop and spend some time there.

Some places, such as Charlotte County Visitor’s Bureau in Florida are starting to use Geocaching as a means of attracting tourists.

They have hidden caches along county parks and blue way paddling trails. GPS coordinates are given to overnight visitors at participating lodgings. For more details, go to CharlotteHarborGeocaching.com.

According to the Web site www.geocaching.com there are 368,030 active caches in over 219 countries.

There are more than 10,000 caches in the state of Florida alone, and within a 50 mile radius of Milton’s zip code, there are now 604 caches hidden.

Through geocaching, we have found some beautiful places and learned some interesting history about our area. We have gotten out of the house for some exercise and enjoyed great satisfaction out of using our minds to solve clues and find treasures.